The Colour of Your Blood
by silvercage
Summary: [On hold] When Sakura is given as a sacrifice to the vampire Gaara, she expected to be killed, not toyed with. Before long she finds herself caught up in a plot to rid the world of the vampires, and their human pets...
1. Chapter One: Hello, Little Girl

A/N: Okay, this is my first Naruto fic, yay! So let's all be uber nice and review review review!

Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Naruto.

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**The Colour of Your Blood**

A Sakura-Gaara Story

Chapter One: Hello, Little Girl

Sakura sat cold, wet, and alone on the round sacrificial table. She pulled her knees up to her chest in a vain effort to keep warm and closed her eyes to block out the horrifying shapes that the trees were taking on around her. A twig snapped not too far away causing Sakura's eyes to snap back open and sweep across the landscape around her, but she was still alone. Sakura's teeth began to chatter; she was only wearing a light spring dress, and the air was becoming increasingly cold around her. The pink-haired girl looked up at the sky; it was getting darker.

Sakura swung her legs over the edge of the huge stone table and gingerly propped herself up on her stiff, cramped legs. She stretched out her tired limbs and looked down at the table. There was a small pile of sand on it: the demand for the sacrifice, for her. Tears welled up in the corners of the girls' eyes. She didn't understand why her village put up with the stupid tradition. A vampire would leave their mark on the table, and a girl would be left there as an offering to keep the undead pacified. All of the sixteen year old girls in the village would be gathered and forced to draw lots to see who would be taken, and this time Haruno Sakura was the unlucky girl. She began to curse her village, the traditions, and the vampires. Quite loudly, as it were.

"Harsh language," a monotonous voice said. Sakura shrieked and spun on her heel. Facing her was a man with pale skin, red hair, and icy green eyes with heavy black circles around them. He was dressed in black with a gourd slung across his back. When he opened his mouth to speak again, Sakura saw a row of gleaming white teeth, two of them long, sharp, and deadly looking. "We're leaving," he said simply as the pile of sand came to life and drifted lazily off of the sacrificial table and wrapped itself around Sakura's mouth and nose. The girl struggled to tear the rough grains away, clawing and scratching at the sand. The red haired vampire gave the smallest of smirks at the vain attempts of the girl. After another minute or two's struggle, Sakura's small frame crumpled.

* * *

Sakura jolted awake. Her hand immediately went to her throat and she gulped down as much air as she could. Realizing she could breathe freely again, Sakura looked around the room that she was in. She was sitting on top of a huge four-poster bed draped in faded burgundy blankets with a musty smell; it appeared she had been dropped there unceremoniously. The room was huge and made of sandstone, with glass double doors leading out to a balcony without a railing. The room was completely bare of any furniture or decoration except for the bed and a chest of drawers. Sakura pushed herself up and made her way over to the balcony.

She stepped outside onto the small, rounded platform, noticing that she was quite high up. The sky was completely dark with no stars or moon to shed any light. Sakura could barely make out the horizon, although it wasn't much to see, just plain, barren sand stretching on for miles. Sakura shivered as a cold wind blew through her thin clothes; she had never been in the desert before and was not used to the shifts in temperature.

Sakura would have expected her mind to be racing, but instead only one question surfaced: why was she still alive? Ever since she was a child, she had heard the rumours of what happened to the ill-fated girls who were given over to the undead, each tale more terrible and horrifying than the last. Was he going to play some kind of sick cat-and-mouse game with her? Was he planning something? The thought sent a shiver down the girl's spine and her stomach contorted with nausea.

Sakura jumped when the door to her room swung open on its hinges, hitting the wall with a resounding _bang!_ Sakura retreated back into her room, closing the glass door behind her. She took a few tentative steps towards the door and peeked around the frame to see who had opened it, but nobody was there. Suddenly, an invisible hand began to tug at the hem of Sakura's red dress, pulling her out into the corridor. The girl shrieked and tried to resist, but another set of hands behind her began to push. Sakura clawed at the door, but she was dragged out. The invisible force pushed her down the hall and forced her down several flights of stairs, with the light tug still at the edge of the girl's dress, hanging on and pulling like it was some kind of game. Finally, Sakura reached her destination. She was pulled into a large room that was completely bare except for a long wooden table with a single chair at one end, a large window. Standing before it staring out at the sand was the red haired vampire. The force behind her gave in and Sakura fell back with a loud _thud_ and a small _"oof."_

The vampire did not turn around, nor acknowledge Sakura's presence for a while. Sakura didn't know if she should have dared to move at all. She decided to play safe and stay on the floor quietly.

Finally, the vampire took a sharp intake of breath and began speaking without moving his eyes. "I am Gaara. I know who you are so there is no point in introducing yourself," he stated stoically as Sakura opened her mouth. "Don't leave the castle, don't leave your room unless I summon you, don't disturb me, and don't try to run away. I will know. If you need anything, ask the servants."

"Servants?" Sakura asked. She didn't know that any other humans lived in the castle.

"They brought you here," Gaara explained without emotion. For what seemed like the millionth time, a shiver went down Sakura's spine.

"Um, I—" Sakura began, but she was cut off.

"You are not dead yet because I have chosen to keep you alive for now. If you wish to stay that way, do not break my rules. You may eat here and then return to your room." Gaara finished and left the room without so much as glancing at his captive. Sakura's eyes followed the vampire as he swept out of the room, leaving her alone.

Sakura felt shaky and weak. He had chosen to keep her alive? What for? Ever since she was a child, Sakura had heard the rumours of what happened to the sacrificed girls, each more grim and gory than the last, yet she was spared. _For now,_ the nagging voice in her head hissed.

The pink haired girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a tug at her dress. She looked up to see the table laden with food. Sakura's stomach gave a loud rumble. Now that she wasn't as afraid for her life, she realized how hungry she was. She pulled herself off the ground and sat down gingerly in the chair that was pulled out for her.

* * *

Gaara paced in his messy study, the gourd on his back thumping up and down. Anger coursed through his cold veins. No, not anger, complete and utter rage. Had it been anyone else besides the fiery haired vampire he would have screamed out loud. Instead, he flung the piles of scrolls and books off of his ornate desk. He leaned down on his palms and took a few deep breaths. He needed to calm down; he wasn't acting like himself. His head twitched to the side and a thick black-bound volume strewn on the floor caught his eye. Slowly, he picked it up and studied it with his cold jade eyes.

* * *

Sakura had done battle with many states of mind in her short life: happiness, sadness, grief, rage, helplessness. But now she faced the worst of all: boredom. It was almost daybreak. Sakura had returned to her room as instructed and had found it bare and boring; just the way she left it. She had alternated between pacing the room, attempting to sleep, standing on the balcony staring at the endless sand dunes, and rewriting the events of the past week in her mind.

Sakura had thrown herself back down on the musty bed. She dramatically flung an arm over her eyes to shield the barren walls from her view. _Dear God, take me now,_ she thought grimly, easily forgetting her fears of Gaara in the face of all consuming nothingness. She rolled over and sat up as quickly as if a snake had been put in her bed. Sitting not two feet away was a round table with an old, thick, black book on top that had not been there a second before.

_What in the name of high holy hell is going on?_

Curiosity getting the better of her, Sakura gently picked the book up. The cover was old and worn, but it had once boasted an elaborate design. The girl flicked open the cover carelessly and read the title: _The Hystory of the Vampyrs._ Excellent, if there was anything more boring than nothing, it was history. But still, Sakura had tried staring at the walls, and she doubted if anything could be less entertaining. She flicked to the first page and slumped over the book in a deep slumber before she could finish the first paragraph of the introduction.

* * *

The sun had just set and Sakura was awoken by a tap on her shoulder. Of course no one was there, except for one of the 'servants.' The door swung open on its hinges, obviously telling Sakura she was being summoned. Sakura tossed the heavy book on the small table and got up, stretched, and began her hike down the stairs.

When she reached the main hall, Gaara was walking towards the door; he didn't acknowledge Sakura. He swung the door open to reveal the figures of a tall vampire with ghostly white eyes and long dark hair, and a girl with brown hair and brown eyes who was startling familiar.

"TenTen?" Sakura asked, hardly believing her eyes.


	2. Chapter Two: Kaiyo

A/N: Thank you to the reviews. Speaking of which, WHY AREN'T THE REST OF YOU PEOPLE REVIEWING!Ahem, I can't help but notice that twenty people have this story on alert, and six have it on favourites, and I only have ten reviews so far. I am a review junkie, and I need my fix. Come on guys, help me out here. If you read, please take the two seconds out of your life and say if you like the story or not. I am going to hole chapter three hostage until the review count gets up to twenty-five (I can have it finished by the end of the day, by the way). So let's all keep the writer happy and review:) 

On another note, the plot is a little up in the air at the moment. I have the main points plotted out, but I would love suggestions. This story is, after all, for you guys.

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The Colour of Your Blood

A Sakura-Gaara Story

Chapter Two: Kaiyo

"TenTen?" Sakura asked, hardly believing her eyes.

"Sakura!" the girl cried. She ran past her dark haired companion and Gaara and tightly embraced the bewildered Sakura. "It's so good to see you again!" TenTen exclaimed.

"We thought you were dead!" Sakura choked. TenTen had lived next door to the Harunos when Sakura was a young child. TenTen's parents were almost always out of town on business, so the Harunos practically adopted her. She had been the older sister Sakura never had, until she was sacrificed eleven years ago.

The two girls stood in the middle of the entrance hall, hugging and crying, completely oblivious to the two vampires watching them. Gaara let the door swing shut and cleared his throat.

"Sakura, take her up to your room," he commanded in his even voice. Sakura, with raised spirits, grabbed TenTen's hand and ushered her up the stairs, chattering away already. The two vampires glanced at each other before heading off to Gaara's study in silence.

* * *

Sakura and TenTen sat on the bed together because of a lack of chairs. Sakura had been chatting about the goings on in the village since TenTen left. Not a lot had happened.

Sakura had been staring at TenTen's neck the entire time. On the left were two small pearly scars. "So how have you been?" Sakura finally asked.

TenTen gave an airy sigh. "Oh, well, you know…" she drifted off with a dreamy smile.

"I don't get it," Sakura blurted out, "This whole vampire sacrifice thing. Everyone always said the sacrifices were sucked dry, but nothing has happened yet."

TenTen gave Sakura a pitying look, like she was an idiot. "The village is wrong," the brown haired girl began patiently (and slowly), "The vampires aren't evil or anything like that. You should know that by now; haven't you read the book?"

Sakura glanced over at the huge book on the small round table. "That sleeping pill?" she asked dryly.

"You should read it; there is quite a lot of information." Sakura grunted in reply. "Well, it explains about the sacrifices. We aren't eaten and killed; we are more like companions. What happens is a vampire will leave a specific mark or object on the sacrificial table, signalling that they need a new human. The village then leaves an offering for the vampire to pick up, and they are bonded for life afterwards."

"That's stupid, why do the villages give the sacrifices?"

"Because the vampires protect the villages, silly," TenTen explained, "The village leaders just don't tell you that."

"So they don't feed on you?" Sakura looked at TenTen's neck sceptically.

TenTen tried to hide a small smirk. "Oh, they feed on you," she muttered.

Sakura looked worried. "Does it hurt?"

"A bit the first time," TenTen managed to choke out between giggles.

"What's so funny?" the pink-haired girl demanded.

"Read the book."

* * *

Gaara had made no attempt to clean up the study. Books and scrolls, priceless artefacts, were strewn across the floor and a chair had been smashed to bits in a blind rage. Gaara walked overtop of the mess, throwing his gourd against a wall and sitting behind his desk. Neji carefully picked his way around the papers to stand in front of the red haired vampire.

"Have you heard anything from the others?" Neji asked. Gaara merely shook his head. "I'd imagine they'd be showing up over the next few days. You know what we are like, we just turn up on the door step." Neji had no idea why he kept babbling on. "They will come," he continued confidently. "This is, after all, the third one this month."

Gaara's eyes shot up to glare at the dark haired vampire icily. Neji stuck his words in his throat. He went too far too soon, and he knew it. He remembered the pain.

* * *

It was two in the morning, and the two girls were still up talking.

"What is Neji like?" Sakura asked. She had pulled the comforter off of her bed and spread it out on the cold floor while TenTen stayed on the bed.

TenTen blushed a little at the question and didn't meet Sakura's eyes. "He's…sweet, I guess, but only when no one else is around."

"Do you love him?"

TenTen traced a circle with her finger on the sheet and kept her eyes down. "I thought I hated him at first, for taking me away from my home. I actually threw a chair at him at one point."

"A chair?"

"It was only a lawn chair," TenTen declared defensively. "Anyway, I was really depressed for the first few weeks and I cried like a baby and threw temper tantrums and acted like a brat, even though Neji was giving me all this stuff to try to make my room look more like home. Neji stayed with me all night and we just talked about nothing. And—"

"And then what?" Sakura asked mischievously.

"And then, I don't really know. Since then we are with each other almost all the time, and it just works. It just happened."

Sakura sighed. "I wish I had got one like that," she said dreamily, "Instead I got some psychopath. He suffocated me when he came to get me at the table. I think he is insane."

"Well," TenTen said quietly, "He's had it pretty rough lately."

"Why? What happened?"

"I don't know if I should be the one to say this, but, his last human was killed. They had been together for over three hundred years. Her name was Kaiyo."

"Three hundred years?" Sakura screeched incredulously. "Who killed her?"

"I don't know," TenTen's voice was getting lower, and Sakura had to lean in closer to hear. "Neji wouldn't tell me, but I overheard him talking to another vampire, and he said that thirteen human companions had been murdered in the past two years."

* * *

Gaara stood alone on the roof, the cold night breeze blowing through his thin clothes. The roof was beautiful, a desert oasis filled with stout trees, hardy grasses, and bright flowers, and the occasional cactus. They were starting to wither and die, though, because no one was taking care of them. Because she wasn't there any more.

"I told you not to leave your room," Gaara said in his emotionless voice. Sakura tentatively stepped out of the stairwell that led to the top floor of the castle.

"I heard about Kaiyo," Sakura began awkwardly, "I'm sorry. I guess I understand now why you were being such an—" Gaara made no reply or any gesture to acknowledge that he heard the girl's babbling. Sakura decided to change the subject. "So what's your thing?" she asked in a curious voice.

"What?" Gaara turned his head to give the girl one of his looks.

"I was taking with TenTen and she said that all vampires have a special thing, like a technique or a special power or something like that. What's yours?"

Gaara turned his head back out to the endless dunes. "The sand protects me," he said simply.

"Wow, really? That's so cool. So if I threw something at you, it would just bounce off of the sand?"

"Yes." _Thump._ "Did you just throw a chair at me?"

"It was only a lawn chair," Sakura mumbled sheepishly.


	3. Chapter Three: The Gathering

A/N: Woohoo, go reviewers! Thanks to everybody for taking the time out of your lives to say you like the story. I know I said twenty-five reviews, but I had to edit the story to add in the author's notes, so half of the people probably didn't catch it. Also I spent about four hours today working on it, so I really wanted to get it up. Okay, so at last count there are thirty-eight people on who have this story either on alert or favourites, so that means I will be expecting thirty-eight reviews (for a grand total of sixty-one). I know that it seems like a lot, but you are all writers and therefore should understand the importance of constant reassurance that people still like the story. And I'm serious this time about the reviews:D.

Anyway, thischapter is almost twice as long as the others, but it's almost all development.I promise more fluff in the next chapter. I think I may do a special fluffy extra and post it on my livejournal (check my profile for the address). Also, suggestions would be greatly appreciated, but don't be put off if you don't see your ideas verbatim.

Good job, guys, and let's keep up the good work! ;)**

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The Colour of Your Blood

A Sakura-Gaara Story

Chapter Three: The Gathering

Sakura drew the heavy curtains closed padded over to her bed. She collapsed on the mattress, which screamed in protest. She really didn't like the nocturnal lifestyle; she was more of a sunshine and daisies girl. Sakura rolled around and around in her bed until she was wrapped tightly in her blankets and couldn't move. Inwardly, she wished that TenTen had stayed with her for a kind of sleep over, but she had gone to sleep with Neji.

Inevitably, her thoughts turned to Gaara. He didn't seem to like her, but she couldn't really blame him for that. She was a replacement for Kaiyo. Sakura wondered what it would be like to be with some one for over three hundred years. She tried to picture herself with Gaara, kissing him, talking with him, spending the night in his bed. Except, as far as Sakura knew, Gaara slept hanging from the dining room chandelier. Sakura giggled into her pillow at the picture of the red haired vampire upside down sleeping like a baby.

Sakura fell asleep snickering.

* * *

"Sakura," TenTen hissed, shaking the sleeping girl, "Sakura, wake up!" Sakura made a move to smack the brown haired for disturbing her slumber, but her hands were still pinned to her sides by the blankets. She was forced to open her eyes.

"Whuh?" she grumbled incoherently.

"Get up and get dressed," TenTen said, rolling the girl around on her bed, trying to unravel the cocoon. Sakura let her head fall back against the pillow and began to snore again. TenTen _humph_-ed in frustration and went into the bathroom. She came back with a bucket of cold water and emptied it on her head.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Sakura screamed blue murder. She tried to stand up to attack her friend, but instead rolled off of the bed, still tangled in the mass of bedding.

"Get dressed, they are starting to arrive!" TenTen cried, "Do you want to look like day old dog meat for your first introduction?"

"To who?" Sakura asked grumpily.

"To all of the other vampires, of course! Now where are all of your clothes?"

"I'm wearing them," Sakura stated simply. TenTen's jaw hit the floor.

"WHAT? Do you mean to tell me that you only have one outfit, and that you have been wearing it for the past two days?" When Sakura nodded TenTen almost fainted. "Okay, get up. You are going to shower, and I am going to hand wash your disgusting clothes, even if it kills me!"

"Why are you panicking?" Sakura mumbled through a yawn.

"BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS HERE!"

* * *

Once Sakura and her garments had been cleaned up and TenTen returned to (almost) normal, the two girls made their way down the stairs. By the time they reached the ground floor, TenTen was nervously smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in her top and fidgeting with her hair. Sakura soon saw why. Standing in the large entrance hall stood twelve magnificently dressed people, some vampires and some human. It looked like they had all broken out their best clothes for the occasion, and Sakura found herself trying to smooth out her still-damp hair.

TenTen was whispering a running commentary of the vampires and their counterparts in Sakura's ear. "There are Temari and Kankuro over there on the far side, they are Gaara's older siblings; Kiba, the one with the dog, and Amarante are with them. And the guy with the silver hair and the mask that's talking to Neji is Kakashi. He's kind of weird, but an amazing fighter, and Aiko with the red hair over there is with him. That girl with the white eyes is Hinata, Neji's cousin. She and Naruto (the loud blond one) live close to me and Neji. And that's Shikamaru leaning against the wall; he's really lazy. Poor Mai, the social butterfly over there, he never takes her anywhere. I don't see Sasuke anywhere; you'll like his companion, Suki, she's a lot like you. I wonder what's holding them up; they live close by."

TenTen pulled Sakura by the hand through the crowd, introducing her as they went. The vampires would give them a nod of acknowledgement, but the humans would stop them and chat for a few minutes. Sakura's mind felt boggled and she only remembered half of the names, at best. By the time the two girls had made their way across to Gaara's brother and sister (whose humans had gone off on their own to socialize) they could make out their conversation.

"I swear," Temari whispered to her brother, "That boy" (she jabbed her finger at Kiba) "will be the end of me. I have half of a mind to leave him outside for the day and let Itachi have him too." Kankuro gave Temari a warning nudge in the ribs and jerked his head towards Gaara, who was standing alone not too far away.

TenTen was about to tap Kankuro on the shoulder to introduce her friend when Gaara swept across the floor, gestured for TenTen to go to Neji, and pulled Sakura away by the wrist. Once they were far enough away he hissed in Sakura's ear: "Don't talk to them." Sakura could merely nod. Gaara was fine from a distance, but up close he sent a chill down Sakura's spine.

The vampire dropped the girl's wrist and resumed staring out at the crowd. Sakura was unsure whether she should stay with Gaara or go mingle with the other humans. She was saved from making the decision when the front doors swung open and a tall vampire with blue-black hair and chips of onyx for eyes stepped into the castle. He cut an elegant picture with the desert breeze ruffling his dark clothes and the moonlight streaming in behind him. Sakura's jaw hit the floor; she had never seen anyone with such perfect features and natural grace. His majestic gaze swept across the room and fell on Gaara and Sakura. The girl felt her stomach plummet to the floor and her heart was beating in her throat. The vampire started to walk over to them, his stride sure and his eyes full of purpose. When he reached Gaara, he stopped and nodded his head once.

"You're late, Sasuke," Gaara said with venom in his voice.

"I got caught up," Sasuke muttered, "Shall we begin?"

Sasuke strolled away while Gaara's eyes shot daggers at him. "Don't talk to him, either," he ordered Sakura.

* * *

The humans had been ushered into the dining room where the table sat groaning under the weight of an array of dishes. The doors were closed and the vampires were no where to be seen. The humans sat themselves around the table and Naruto began to stuff his face.

Sakura was sitting between TenTen and Naruto. Everyone kept their eyes down and their mouths shut (except for an oblivious blond-haired boy who was shoveling food down his throat). Sakura nudged TenTen in the arm and gave her a questioning look.

"Suki isn't here," TenTen whispered in a trembling voice.

"Maybe she's sick," Sakura whispered back.

"Maybe she's dead," Kiba countered loudly.

The red head (Sakura thought her name was Aiko) dropped her fork with a loud clatter. Mai turned as white as a sheet and Amarante cried: "Kiba, don't say things like that!"

"Well it's true," he said in a matter-of-fact way, "I heard Temari and Kakashi talking the other day, and they said that some one had been killing a lot of humans lately. That's why everyone is here."

"I nebher her dah," Naruto nearly yelled through a mouthful of food.

"It's true," Kiba continued, "haven't you wondered why so many of us are new? We're getting picked off."

"But why?" Aiko asked, looking like a frightened puppy.

"That's enough," TenTen declared, "Kiba, you don't know what you are talking about, so just stop."

The boy gave TenTen a contemptuous glare but turned to his plate.

* * *

Half an hour later, TenTen had turned to engage Amarante in a conversation. Sakura turned her attention to her food and mindlessly filled her stomach. After a while, Naruto gave her a nudge and leaned closer to her.

"So what's yours like?" he whispered, "As crazy as in the book?"

"Please, Naruto," Mai cut in, "don't pretend you know what you're talking about."

"Hey, I read the book," Naruto said defensively.

"You mean Hinata had to read the book to you," Mai laughed.

"Same thing," Naruto stuck out his tongue childishly and turned back to Sakura, "Did you read the part where he killed one of his humans?"

Sakura choked on a mouthful of rice. "He what?"

"Oh, yeah," Naruto went on, "It was the one before Kaiyo. She was having an affair with some guy and Gaara lost it and sucked her dry."

Sakura's eyes were nearly popping out of her head. "Seriously?" she asked, unsure if it was some kind of twisted joke.

"It was a long time ago," Mai tried to comfort.

"He's still a psycho," Naruto declared loudly.

"He _killed_ her?"

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Mai said confidently.

* * *

"I told you not to talk to him," Gaara drawled in his monotonous voice.

He was standing at the edge of the roof again, and Sakura had come to find him.

"I only said hi to him," Sakura muttered as she blushed a deep red. She felt foolish standing behind Gaara, foolish and scared. She didn't know why she went to find him. Sakura looked around her at all of the potted plants. They had a kind of shriveled but brave beauty about them, almost as if they knew that they would soon die.

"What do you want?" Gaara asked coldly.

"Nothing really," Sakura mumbled stupidly, "I just wanted to—I don't know."

Gaara blew his breath out through his teeth. "What did you hear?"

"Is somebody really killing off the humans?" Sakura asked, crossing her fingers and praying that Kiba was wrong.

"Yes," Gaara answered without hesitation.

"Was Suki killed?"

"Yes."

"Who is doing it?" Sakura was beginning to show the fear in her voice.

"We don't know yet. We only have suspicions."

"Did you really kill a girl?"

This caught Gaara off guard. "I've killed a few," he admitted, "Which one do you mean." Sakura's silence was all he needed. "It was a long time ago," he explained emotionlessly, "Almost three hundred years now. I'm not the same person anymore." Gaara looked back at the pink haired girl. She looked scared and hollow, like a hunted animal. Gaara sat down on the edge of the roof and gestured for Sakura to join him. Feeling like she had no escape route now, the girl had no choice but to oblige. She felt awkward and out of place beside a sociopath killer. "Talk," he commanded.

"About what?"

"Anything you want. Just talk."

Sakura glanced up at him; his eyes seemed softer. Sakura let a small smile drift up to her lips and began to babble.


	4. Chapter Four: Seeing Red

A/N: Thank you to the people who actually reviewed.

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**The Colour of Your Blood**

A Sakura-Gaara Story

Chapter Four: Seeing Red

Gaara had left the rooftop when the sky began to turn grey. Sakura decided to stay for a while and watch the sun rise. When the first sliver came over the horizon, the girl had to shield her eyes; she had spent four days without seeing the sun and she was painfully reminded how bright it was. Sakura stretched herself out under some of the potted grasses and watched the sky slowly change colours. She dozed for a while, basking in the warm rays. It was cold at night in the desert and the girl was eager to soak in some rays.

After a while, Sakura began to look around at the garden. Although the plants were yellowing they looked like they could be saved. Sakura sat up and cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me?" she began, feeling like a fool, "Servants? Could I possibly get a watering can? Please?" Her voice was high and squeaky with embarrassment at the thought of speaking to herself on a rooftop in a dead girl's garden, but a full watering can soon came bobbing up to her. "Thank you," she chirped. She began her work, going around and liberally showering the plants with water. The minute the liquid touched their soil, the plants seemed to perk up (or perhaps Sakura was going crazy). Once she was done, Sakura gave the vast rooftop a pleased glance before settling down in one of the lawn chairs.

"Excuse me?" she called again to the invisible hands, "Could some one please bring me the huge book in my room?" The servants obliged, and within a matter of seconds, the book came zooming out of the doorway and landed in Sakura's arms. She didn't feel in the least bit tired so she decided to get a start on reading "the book" so that the others wouldn't be able to give her any grief.

* * *

Sakura woke up to a painful burning sensation all over her skin. She winced and found that her face felt very tight. She opened her eyes and saw Gaara standing in front of her with a puzzled look on his face. As Sakura's brain slowly began to function once again, she started to realize what happened.

"OOOWWWWWWWW!" she jumped up and began to run to her room, "SUNBURN!"

Sakura ran through the corridors of the castle like a madwoman. On the fifth floor she ran into Naruto who gave her his signature stupid-look before bursting out laughing. Sakura would have slapped him, but it hurt too much to make unnecessary movements, and so the girl continued on her way to her room.

Once she arrived she screamed for a salve to soothe her skin, which took fifteen agonizing minutes to arrive because it had to be fetched from the village. Sakura slathered herself in the sticky solution and rolled around on the cold stone floor to try to ease the pain. She stayed like that for hours, with Naruto sticking his head in the door have a laugh at the pink haired girl's expense every half an hour or so. Eventually she dragged herself off of the floor and barricaded the door (she had to push her bed over).

* * *

The next night, TenTen nervously knocked on Sakura's door. The pink haired (and now pink skinned) girl had slept on her bed where she had left it to block the door. After much huffing and puffing, Sakura pulled the huge frame away and swung the door open.

"Every one is—what's wrong with you're face?"

"I got a sunburn yesterday," Sakura said smugly.

TenTen gave her a worried look. "Anyway, everyone has sort of congregated in the entrance hall. Do you want to come down?"

"Is Sasuke-sama there?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"I guess," TenTen shrugged.

"Alright, let's go!" Sakura shouted as she grabbed TenTen's arm and began to hurdle down the hall.

* * *

Sasuke was leaning against a wall away from everyone else when the two girls arrived. Sakura bounded over to the raven haired vampire and chirped "Good evening, Sasuke-sama!"

Sasuke gave her a strange look. "You are pink," he stated flatly.

Sakura looked down at her still-tinted skin. "Oh, sunburn," she explained and laughed infectiously (horribly).

Sasuke grunted in reply. He pushed himself off of the wall and walked around the girl.

"Where are you going, Sasuke-sama?"

Instead of answering, he walked slowly up the stairs.

From where he stood with Temari, Gaara watched Sakura with cold eyes.

* * *

Gaara stood in his private room. It was a mess, like his study, only with sheaves of paper strewn across the floor instead of books. He looked down at one of the papers at his feet. He used to draw, until she died. Sketches of Kaiyo were everywhere, it was all he ever did while she was asleep.

Slowly, Gaara gathered up every last scrap of paper and burned them over a candle, one by one.

* * *

"She loves me, really," Kiba was saying to Sakura, "I just annoy the hell out of her."

"Oh," Sakura replied, wondering if Kiba were right or just plain stupid.

The humans had been ushered into the dining room once again for their first meal of the evening. Everybody always rotated seats during meals to even out socializing. It seemed to Sakura that that was the only thing that the humans ever did. That, and…donate blood.

It was the next night and Sakura's sunburn was almost gone. She and TenTen had stayed up the day before, the older girl trying to explain the slow pink haired girl the old English text. Only about a quarter of the information got through her thick skull.

Sakura had just started on her eggs when the door swung open and a blonde haired girl bounded in. Sakura choked.

"Hey, forehead girl!" the new arrival chirped.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura cried, "What are you doing here?"

"I was the sacrifice!" Ino sounded absolutely thrilled. She ran over to Sakura's side and elbowed in between her frenemy and Kiba.

"Oh, my god!" Ino cried out, "Have you seen how hot Sasuke is? I am _soooooooooo_ glad that I got him! We are a perfect match in everything! It must have been fate…"

Ino continued on while Sakura ground her teeth. Ino-pig had ended up with Sasuke. But Sakura was sure that Sasuke wanted her, not the desperate girl beside her. Sakura felt it in her bones; it was love at first sight, and Ino was intruding. Sakura vowed that she would make Sasuke love her, even though she wasn't his human.

* * *

Sakura sat herself down on the dented, wobbly lawn chair (A/N: I trust you all remember why it's that way). Gaara once again stood at the edge of the roof, looking out at the endless sands. He went to the garden every night, and Sakura couldn't quite understand why. On the second and third nights since the girl's arrival, he had spoken to her twice in the garden, but not on the three nights since. Sakura wasn't sure why she kept going back.

"What do you think about?" Sakura asked suddenly.

"Many things," Gaara replied. Sakura noticed the troubled tone of his voice. She got out of the rickety chair and crossed the space between Gaara and herself. She didn't say anything further to him, but he understood her intent.

The redhead vampire slowly let the air out of his lungs. "Kaiyo left that way," he nodded out towards the horizon, "She was going to the village to but some things for the castle. She said it was a bland as uncooked tofu and she had had enough of it." Gaara was almost smiling at the memory, but his eyes were clouded. "She was only supposed to be gone a day. I went out looking for her, and I found her body halfway between here and the village. Her throat had been slit and all of her fingers were cut off and the sand had gotten in her blood and made it dry on her skin in lumps—" Gaara's voice broke. He wasn't crying, but a pained expression had twisted itself on his face. Sakura's throat was heavily knotted and she could barely gulp down air. She had no idea what she should do with herself. She might have hugged Gaara, but there was a certain type of horror and sorrow that went beyond comfort.

Gaara kept his eyes locked on the horizon as his breath rushed in and out of his lungs. He didn't know why he was telling Sakura about Kaiyo's death; it was an unwritten rule that human companions not know the fate of their predecessors. After a while, Gaara found the strength to continue. "She was tortured and killed by him because I didn't protect her."

"Gaara, it wasn't your—"

"Yes, it is!" he cut her off harshly, "Because I should have been there, I could have stopped him! Kaiyo is dead because I wasn't protecting her like I should have been! If I had have gone with her or stopped her from going all together, she would still be here with me and you would still be in your village."

The last remark stung. He as good as admitted it: he didn't want Sakura with him. She supposed that it made sense. Kaiyo had been the love of his live for almost three centuries before being ripped away and he had been forced to take Sakura. Sakura felt like her insides had been ripped out and replaced with fire. She could think of nothing to say but a mumbled "I'm sorry."

For the first time in three nights, Gaara turned to look at the pink haired girl. "Sakura, I didn't mean it like that," he said in a low voice.

"I'm tired," Sakura tried to sound normal, but her voice came out higher than usual, "I stayed up all day reading that stupid book. I'm going to go to bed." She slowly walked down the stairs to the door and quietly closed it behind her. Gaara didn't try to stop her, he just looked out at the sand.

* * *

It was daytime again, and TenTen was sitting cross-legged on Sakura's bed, the book propped open in her lap. She was about ready to take a kunai to her wrists.

"I still don't get it," Sakura said.

"What is it you don't understand?" TenTen nearly shrieked in frustration.

"If the human shares the vampire's immortality, how come we still die?" Sakura asked, very confused.

"We don't die _natural _deaths," TenTen explained for the zillionth time, "But we can still be killed, just like the vampires. It's just easier to kill us."

"Oh," Sakura chirped, "I get it now! That sucks for us, though…"

"Yes, it does," TenTen said, lifting the book back up, "Now, onto the next chapter."

"Hey TenTen, can I ask you something?"

The girl sighed. "I guess."

"Is it possible to switch vampires?"

TenTen's jaw dropped. "Is it—but—what?" she spluttered.

"I want to be with—"

TenTen cut her off. "Shut up!" TenTen hissed, "If Gaara hears you…Well, he isn't entirely stable, now is he? Are you crazy? Switch vampires?"

"But I don't love Gaara, I love Sasuke-sama."

TenTen shook her head. "No," she said firmly, "You don't, you just have a silly crush on him. You'll love Gaara, take my word for it. No body is paired up for no reason."

Sakura looked sceptical.

* * *

It was the middle of the day and the curtains were tightly drawn shut against the sun. Sakura opened her eyes and found two intense jade orbs hovering over her. She nearly jumped out of her skin; Gaara was centimetres away from her.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to die," Gaara half whispered, "Just to break up the monotony."

Gaara crashed his lips into Sakura's.


	5. Chapter Five: Slim Pickings

A/N: Baah, I've had some hellish writer's block. Please forgive the appearance of Mr. Fluffington; it was the only way I could wrestle this piece of crap out of my mind. :(

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The Colour of Your Blood

A Sakura-Gaara Story

Chapter Five: Slim Pickings

The sheets slipped down Sakura's pale skin causing the girl to shiver. She cracked open one eye and yanked the blankets back up to her chin. She tossed and turned for a few minutes before giving up on sleep. She sat up and pulled the blankets around her body and padded bare foot over to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and let it run for a few moments. Once the room started to fill up with steam Sakura tossed the covers on the floor and stepped into the hot water, letting it run over her tired body. Sakura slowly washed herself and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around her and wiped the fog off of the mirror.

Sakura's hand dropped to her collarbone when she saw the twin pin pricks on her neck. She leaned in closer to the mirror and ran her fingers over the scars. Vampire bites heal quickly.

* * *

By the time Sakura dragged herself down the stairs, Gaara was barring the front doors.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

Gaara looked back at her for a second, then back at the door. "They left," he said simply.

"Why?"

Gaara started to walk towards the staircase that led down to his private chambers. Sakura started to follow him. "Gaara, what's wrong? Why are you acting so—" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing is wrong," Gaara replied placidly, "This is how we have acted since you arrived. Why would we start behaving differently now?"

"Well, because—" Sakura was at a loss for words. Did he forget or something?

"You aren't allowed down here, remember?" Gaara said in a matter-of-fact tone; there was no malice in his voice.

"Can't we, I don't know, talk or something?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"No," Gaara replied as though he didn't know he was hurting the girl, "I have work to do."

Sakura stopped at the top of the stairs as Gaara began to descend. She muttered a small, hurt "Oh."

Although Gaara tended to have the emotional capacity of a pair of sugar tongs, he knew that he had said something to upset his human companion. He slowly turned and walked back up to the top of the stairs. "What is it?" he asked flatly.

"I don't like being alone in this huge place," Sakura confessed, "It's so big, and empty, and _boring,_"

"Why haven't you asked for anything?" Gaara asked her as though it was an obvious solution (and it was).

"I…hmm…"

* * *

It was Christmas in Sakura-land. Coming from a middle class family, Sakura had lived a comfortable life, but she had never been given every luxury that she desired. A huge television had been miraculously brought into the room and made to function without electricity, stacks upon stacks of DVD's were piled high, and a brand new stereo blasted out Sakura's favourite band. Best of all, her room was now _decorated._ The invisible servants had covered the room with pale pink wallpaper, huge pillows were arranged on the ground around a low coffee table, and the bed had been given a fresh set of linens. There were so many pillows piled on the bed that they were falling over the edges. Life was really starting to look up.

Until a very irate Gaara burst into the room. "What are you doing?" he had to shout over the loud music.

"Dancing!" Sakura cried, jumping up and down on the bed clutching a huge unicorn plushie, pillows bouncing off the bed every time she kicked off.

Gaara strode over to the stereo and, not being able to find a way to turn it off (he didn't care for electricity), used his sand to plug the holes in the speakers until they exploded. Sakura's mouth fell open as she stared at Gaara with a martyred look in her emerald eyes.

"But—my stereo!" she cried in disbelief.

"I'm trying to concentrate—what is that?" he asked, spotting the ratty pink unicorn in the girl's arms.

"It's Mr. Fluffington," Sakura explained, "I've had him since I was two."

Gaara wished that he had never let the pink haired girl have whatever she wanted. The vampire swept out of the room, rubbing his temples as he went.

* * *

It was one o'clock and Sakura was bored with her new possessions already (except for Mr. Fluffington, but he wasn't exactly a "new" possession). She slowly opened the door to her room and stepped out into the corridor barefoot.

By the time she reached the ground floor, Gaara was waiting for her.

"Why do you insist on wandering?" he asked in a voice that was almost tired.

"I wasn't wandering," Sakura replied, "I knew exactly where I was going. And why shouldn't I wander? I live here now too."

Normally, Gaara would have retorted with a classic "because I said so" or "my house, my rules" but he wasn't in the mood for games. "It may not be safe," he said truthfully, looking Sakura straight in the eye.

"In the hou—castle?" she corrected herself quickly, "Why would it be unsafe for me to be in the halls as opposed to my room?"

"Are you really that unobservant?" Gaara asked, unsure if the girl was playing dumb or just plain thick, "Have you not noticed the seals around your room? Only certain people can enter."

Sakura knit her brow in concentration, trying to remember. Seals? Huh? Sakura shook her head to clear out the thoughts. "Can we please stay with you tonight?" Sakura asked pleadingly.

"We?" Gaara asked. Sakura held up Mr. Fluffington. The vampire sighed. "Why do you want to stay with me?"

"It gets kind of," Sakura searched her head for the right word, "Lonely."

The two awkwardly locked eyes. Gaara took in a sharp breath of air and opened his mouth to speak when a pounding noise broke out on the other side of the front doors. Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Gaara!" a muffled voice called. It was Temari. "Gaara! Open the door!"

In a swift, fluid motion, the vampire swept across the entrance hall and unlatched the door. Temari burst through and began babbling.

"I can't find him!" she screeched, throwing herself into her startled brother's arms, "He was right beside me and I looked away for a second, and I can't find him!" She was pale and her cheeks were stained with salty tears. Her clothes were ruffled and out of place and her hair was falling out of its pigtails.

"Slow down," Gaara said, standing his sister up straight, "Start from the beginning and tell me everything—" He was cut off when a scrap of paper came flying through the air towards him. He tore the fragment out of the invisible servant's hands and read it quickly, his face falling with every word that he read.

"Sakura, go to your room and don't come out, no matter what. Understand?" Gaara's voice was suddenly harsh and commanding. Sakura nodded her head mutely and immediately set up the stairs. On her way she heard the sibling's conversation.

"Kakashi and Shikamaru were traveling together, and Aiko and Mai have disappeared," he said quickly to his sister, who began to sob. "Pull yourself together," Gaara commanded, "As long as we don't have his body, we have to assume that Kiba is still alive."

Sakura turned a corner and the rest of the conversation was lost to her. She felt dizzy and confused and began to stumble. Aiko, Mai, and Kiba, most likely all dead. The small servant began to tug at Sakura's skirt and led her up to her room. The pink haired girl collapsed on her bed as the servant pulled the door shut.

* * *

Sakura woke up with a jolt when harsh sunlight hit her eyelids. It took a minute for her to realize that there was some one in her room.

It was a man in a long black and red robe and a straw hat. He had long blue-black hair that was pulled back and red and black eyes. He held something in his hand, twirling it between his fingers.

"You were named well, Little Blossom," he said dryly, holding up a single sakura blossom, "A perfect match."

Sakura was trembling as she tried to inch away. The bed springs creaked.

"Don't worry," the man said in a soothing voice, "I won't kill you. Yet. Although I was very tempted when I saw you laying there, so weak and defenseless. I have something special planned for you, Little Blossom. You are going to be special, not like the other one, Kaiyo."

"W-who are you?" Sakura stammered.

"He hasn't told you anything," the man chuckled, "Doesn't that just…boil your blood? He doesn't trust you. Sweet dreams, Little Blossom, I have some business to take care of." He turned to the open glass doors, but tilted his head back towards the cowering human. "By the way," he added, "Tell your _keeper_ not to make me laugh." The man threw a small stack of seals on the bed at Sakura's feet and vanished out the window.

* * *

A/N: Geez, Louise, that took forever! Well I hope you guys like it despite its OOCness and general not-goodness.

And yay, I got my target number of reviews. For the third chapter... Please review!


	6. Chapter Six: Far From Normal

A/N: Gaah, major writer's block! I can feel my writing style slipping away from me :S. Anyway, somebody asked for a list of the vampires and their respective humans, which is actually a very good idea, because even I can't remember who is with whom…Anyway:

Gaara- Sakura (previous human: Kaiyo)

Neji- TenTen

Sasuke- Ino (previous human: Suki)

Temari- Kiba

Kankuro- Amarante

Kakashi- Aiko

Shikamaru- Mai

Hinata- Naruto

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The Colour of Your Blood

A Sakura-Gaara Story

Chapter Six: Far From Normal

After a night of fruitless searching and a day of squatting in shadows, Gaara returned home, leaving a hysterical Temari with Shikamaru and Kakashi. The vampire pushed the heavy doors open and walked brusquely up the stairs. He reached the fourth floor and went to Sakura's room. He stopped in at the doorway as if he had hit a wall. The seals were gone. Not bothering to knock, he burst through the door.

"Sakura!" he yelled almost angrily. There was no one in the room, but the bed was unmade, and worst of all the glass doors were open, letting the cold night wind in the room. "Sakura!" he yelled again, this time a note of panic in his voice. He ran to the new wardrobe and flung the doors open, flinging clothes aside. Next he tried the bathroom, which also turned up fruitless. "Sakura!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

There was a small tug at the hem of Gaara's shirt, causing him to look down. It was the little servant, and it was trying to tug him out the door. Gaara followed at a breakneck speed, rushing down the stairs, the invisible servant only a hairsbreadth in front of him. Before he knew it, Gaara was standing before his own door. He shoved it open and stormed in.

A whimper came from the far end of the room. Gaara whipped his head around and saw Sakura, alone and cowering in the corner. His temper flared up at once, egged on by worry.

"What the hell do you think you are doing down here?" he demanded, half yelling at the girl, crossing the space between them. "I told you not to leave your room! And where are those seals?" Sakura said nothing, but looked up at the vampire with wide, scared eyes, like a whipped puppy. "Well?" he demanded.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but only a straggled, guttural sound came out. Her eyes were swimming in tears and her lower lip was trembling uncontrollably. Sakura launched herself forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Gaara's middle and began to sob and wail against is stomach. Thrown off balance, the two crashed to the ground. After a long moment Gaara recovered and sat himself up, pulling the pink haired girl into a sitting position as well.

"T-there was a man," she managed to choke out, "A-and he said…h-horrible things a-about—" She broke off again and buried her face in the folds of Gaara's clothes again.

Gaara was stunned. _He had gotten in._ They had to move, and quickly. Without hesitation, Gaara stood up and slung the crying girl over his shoulder. He didn't have any time to attempt to be Mr. Nice Guy.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked in a cracked voice.

"Somewhere safe," the vampire replied, a note of finality in his voice.

Under normal circumstances, Sakura would probably have muttered "safer than this?" or some such remark. However, circumstances were far from normal. She was on Gaara's back, her eyes red and swollen. They were in a forest with giant trees, and Gaara seemed to soar through the air, occasionally pushing off against the rough bark of a trunk. It was getting near the time of night when everything seemed to grow tired of the dark and droop and sigh with fatigue. Sakura hated travelling in the dark.

Gaara started to slow down, until he finally came to a stop on a thick branch. He set Sakura down on her feet, ignoring the fact that she was wobbling. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and evened out his breathing. He didn't sense anyone nearby. He grabbed Sakura around the waist and began to descend, bouncing back and forth against two trees until he reached the forest floor.

"Where are we?" Sakura asked, but she was cut off when Gaara shushed her. The vampire walked over to a thicket, which looked no different that the other two in the vicinity. He began to shove the branches aside, making little swishing noises, until he found what he was looking for. What it was exactly, Sakura couldn't see, but within the second, Gaara had reached back, grabbed the girl's hand, and pushed her into the underbrush. She practically fell down a dark, twisting shaft with shallow stairs cut into the earth, and seals plastered all over the walls.

The pink haired girl found herself at the bottom of the steps. Shikamaru was leaning against a closed door, looking the worse for wear. Before the girl could say anything, Gaara came up behind her, nodded at Shikamaru and gave Sakura a nudge. The dark haired vampire turned and fiddled with the door for a moment before opening it and walking through. Sakura followed him, with Gaara on her heels.

Sakura couldn't help but notice that seals were stuck to the walls and ceiling, and even the floor, every few inches. "Seals?" she asked Gaara quietly, "Isn't that kind of pointless. I mean, that guy still got into my room—" Gaara gave her a silencing look.

Shikamaru had heard the entire thing. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Sakura. "_Itachi_ was in your room?" he questioned. Sakura nodded dumbly. "What did he say to you? Did he tell you anything? Why—"

"That's enough," Gaara cut the other vampire off.

"She might know something; he might have let something slip."

"She doesn't know anything," Gaara said in a low voice, "I questioned her on the way here. It was only a taunt." Sakura gave him a questioning look. He hadn't asked her a single thing about her "visit;" he hadn't talked at all.

"She should report everything to all the others," Shikamaru pressed on.

"Keep moving," Gaara commanded, as if nothing was happening.

"No," Shikamaru replied, "Your human _might know something_. Mai, Kiba, and Aiko are all missing. I want answers!"

"Sakura doesn't have any for you," Gaara replied evenly, "She has been through enough; she is going to rest. Keep moving."

Shikamaru wanted to say more, but turned on his heel and walked on. Sakura gave Gaara a "thank you" look; she really didn't want to relieve, what's his name, _Itachi's_ visit. It was picking slowly at the inside of her head, just behind the eyes.

* * *

The trio finally reached a giant cavern. It looked as though it could have been in some one's castle, except there were no windows, no windows, no furniture except for a table, a few chairs, and some beds pushed against one wall.

Sakura was relieved to see all of the remaining humans gathered together in the gaping room. Upon seeing her, TenTen jumped out of the chair she was seated in and threw herself at Sakura, wrapping the girl up in a tight hug.

"Thank God, you're okay," she practically sobbed, "I was so worried. We're dropping like flies."

"Sakura, go get some sleep," Gaara commanded, nudging the girl towards the beds off to the side, "Don't talk to anyone, just rest."

The girl nodded and did as she was told.

* * *

Sakura woke up confused. She felt like she had been sleeping on a rock in some foreign land. She groaned and sat up, massaging her neck. Within a second, TenTen was beside Sakura's bed.

"Are you alright?" the older woman asked, acting like a mother, "I overheard Neji and Kankuro talking earlier, and they said something about—"

"I'm fine, thanks," Sakura replied quickly, pushing her blankets aside and swinging her feet over the side. "These beds suck," she muttered.

"Well they have been sitting around for a few centuries," TenTen said reasonably, "This safe house has been around for a long time. It doesn't get much use."

"I'm starving," Sakura remarked, trying to force herself to pretend she was comfortable despite the atmosphere. The room was huge and echoed back every little sound that was made. Candles were in wrought iron brackets on the walls, giving the room a flickering light. Most unnerving of all was the way everyone was acting. All of the humans were huddled and hunched around the table, whispering in low tones to each other. There were two doors out of the room, one at each end, with a silent vampire standing guard.

Suddenly, a dull thudding was heard. "What is that?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Some one is outside," TenTen muttered.

All of the humans had fallen silent and were looking up at the ceiling. Kankuro and Hinata, the two vampires on watch, traded a glance before heading off down the tunnel that lead outside. Without hesitation, Sakura followed them, TenTen trying to hold her friend back.

Sakura ran down the corridor, her heart in her throat. She knew that nothing good awaited at the door.

By the time she reached the opening, Kankuro and Hinata had ripped down the protective seals and flung the door open. Gaara was standing there, a battered Kiba hanging off his shoulder.

"What are you doing down here?" Gaara demanded of Sakura, "Go back with the others."

At that moment, more footsteps were heard coming down the hall. The rest of the vampires arrived.

"Oh, my God," Temari yelped and ran up to her human.

"Temari?" Kiba asked half dazed, his eyes almost closed, "I-I c-can't find…Akamaru."

"Shhh," Temari cooed, trying to wipe away a stream of blood flowing down the boy's cheek, "Don't worry, we'll find him later."

"Here," Gaara said giving Kiba's limp body over to Neji and Kankuro, "Take him to Temari's room. She can look after him."

As Kiba was carted off, Gaara grabbed Sakura's arm harshly. "What do you think you are doing down here?" he hissed, "Do you know how easily you could end up like him?" Gaara asked, nodding his head in Kiba's direction.

"I—" Sakura stopped. "Did you hear that?" she asked suddenly. Without waiting for a reply, she darted off up the stairs.

"Sakura," Gaara called out, extremely angry, "Get back here!" He let out an exasperated sigh and went after the stupid girl.

He nearly ran into her at the top of the stairs, where she had stopped dead. Gaara looked over her shaking shoulder and immediately turned her around to face him.

At the threshold, right where the bushed stopped, was a small carcass. The throat was slit, the fur was burnt off. It was a dog.

* * *

A/N: Cowers Don't kill me for killing Akamaru! It was for dramatic effect. Dramatic effect, I tell you!

Anyhoo, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY (and also TenTen's). Do you know what I would like? Lots of reviews! Make me happy on my birthday, everyone review!


	7. Chapter Seven: Amarante

A/N: Okay, so a couple of people said they wanted more fluff. Well, I fail horribly at fluff, but I'm gonna try later on, just for you guys :D. Also on the agenda for this author's note (I always end up forgetting things :S), I have the rest of the story is planned out! This story will end up being ten chapters, plus a pointless epilogue. Yay, I'm actually gonna finish something! Also, once I'm done, I'm going to go through and fix my grammatical errors and whatnot and I shall repost the edited versions. So if you get alerts or whatever after the epilogue, just ignore them.

Oh, and also, over one hundred reviews! Happy dances around computer chair And also, over five thousand hits. Woot woot.

AND ALSO…I have had a slew of great ideas today! Seven new ideas for other fan fictions, yay! Most of them are KankySaku, because I love Kankuro! I'm pretty sure the one I'm going to do next is from a series that I'm going to start called The Fairy Tale Collection, because fairy tales rock! I'm going to try to make them light-hearted and PG-13-ish. So, anyway, if you have any requests for The Fairy Tale Collection, tell me who you want in what and I'll tally up the scores and do some of them. Or I might just do this other high school fic one, but it will be better than all the others because…Well, you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you?

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The Colour of Your Blood

A Sakura-Gaara Story

Chapter Seven: Amarante

Kankuro and Amarante lay beside each other on a small bed, panting with the sheets tangled around their feet. Amarante slipped her arms around the vampire's waist and snuggled her head into his bare chest.

"Kankuro?" the girl whispered, looking up at the vampire to see if he was still awake. He shifted on the mattress so that he was facing the human, his head propped up by his arm. Amarante continued: "How long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

Kankuro pushed a few strands of long, black hair out of the girl's eyes and stroked her cheek gently with his thumb. "I don't know," he answered truthfully, "As soon as it's safe."

"I hate it here," Amarante whispered and snuggled close to the vampire's chest, wrapping her arms around him. Kankuro didn't say anything in response, but instead ran a hand through Amarante's dark hair and began to drift off.

* * *

Sakura and TenTen sat on one of the stiff beds in the huge hall. The other humans, save for Kiba, were sitting around the table in the middle of the room, picking over the remains of their last meal. Gaara and Sasuke were manning either door. 

"I hate this place," TenTen was whispering to her friend, "Everyone is too afraid to talk."

"I'm worried about Kiba," Sakura blurted out, "We haven't heard anything about him yet."

"I'm sure he's fine," TenTen tried to sound reassuring, "No news is good news, right?" Sakura nodded her head listlessly. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. The near-silence was killing her; the way that everyone would whisper, scrape their chairs against the floors, and the way the stone walls would echo the sounds back.

"Hey guys," Ino chirped as she flung herself down on the bed between the two girls. Ino seemed to be the only person not affected by the dark atmosphere of the place. She practically bounced off the walls and occasionally tried to start an animated conversation. "I wish they would let us out of here already, or at least let us shower! It's really starting to smell ripe in here."

TenTen was getting very ticked off. "Don't be so stupid," she hissed, "You know we aren't allowed out of the sight of the vampires—"

"I'd be completely fine," Ino cut TenTen off, "I have Sasuke-sama. He's so strong, and handsome, he'd protect me." Sasuke was scanning the room, and Ino gave him a girlish wave. The vampire scowled and looked away.

TenTen looked like she was ready to tear Ino's head off. At that moment, however, the vampires began to move. Although it seemed to be an underwhelming spectacle, the humans watched it diligently each time; any shift in the monotony was welcomed. Kankuro and Kakashi were the replacements. The latter had an almost calm look on his face as he crossed the hall to take Gaara's position at the far door. His painted eyes swept over the humans' heads, realization hitting him like a lightning bolt.

"Where's Amarante?" he asked, a note of pure dread in his voice.

"She was supposed to be with you," Naruto answered, giving Kankuro a confused look. Everyone looked around the room, tallying up faced in their heads. Sasuke and Gaara had moved from their posts to the centre of the room.

Kankuro turned to his brother. "We have to go look for her," he said in an automatic voice, his eyes wide. Gaara closed his eyes for a few long seconds before slowly shaking his head "no." Kankuro looked enraged. "What do you mean, 'no?'" he demanded, "_We have to go look for her!_ She could still be alive."

The red haired vampire ignored his brother, but began issuing orders. "Kakashi, go get the others, tell them everyone is now staying in this room. Sasuke, Kankuro, stay at the doors. All of you humans are to stay at this table, don't get up or try to leave—"

Kankuro pushed his brother's shoulder so that he was facing him once again. "What are you talking about? Aren't you listening to me? We have to go look for Amarante, _now_."

"She is probably already dead," Gaara said in a cold voice, "At this point, it is too much of a risk to go outside. There isn't anything we can do for her. The most important thing right now is to protect the remaining humans."

Kankuro's face turned red with fury. He opened his mouth, but no retort came. He shut his mouth, shook his head, and began to walk towards the far door. Gaara called after him, but the dark haired vampire kept walking, his head bowed.

By that time, Sakura, TenTen, and Ino had made their way over to the table. Everyone was silent as they heard the far away creak of a door and the whistle of wind flying outside. The door snapped shut a second later.

"Kakashi," Gaara said, his voice strained. The silver haired vampire nodded his head and was gone in a puff of smoke to retrieve the others. Sakura placed her hand on Gaara's forearm and said his name softly to get his attention. "Sakura," he said, staring her straight in the eye, "Just sit down." He pulled his arm away from the girl and stalked over to talk to Sasuke.

Sakura sunk down in a chair and TenTen gave her a sympathetic look. Sakura felt something light fall onto her shoulder. She turned her head and saw a torn piece of fluffy pink fabric had been dropped onto her.

* * *

A/N: Oh, no! Not Mr. Fluffington! Anyway, I don't think I've ever written a shorter chapter. I can't write anymore! Ahh! But in all seriousness, I am quite disappointed in this chapter...When did iI get so sucky? Anyway, the next two chapters are going to be fairly short as well, followed by a super-awesome, _long_ last chapter, and then a fluffy epilogue (I can't fit the fluff in right now, it just won't work!). 


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